intu plans £100m developments for Watford town centre and Lakeside

September 20, 2013

Intu has submitted a planning application to redevelop Charter Place and substantially refurbish intu Watford. The £100 million development will provide new retail space, a cinema and leisure complex, along with a vibrant new restaurant hub.

A new public square will also be created in order to host an exciting events programme, such as street theatre and music shows.

Jonathan Ainsley, asset management director said, “The £100 million investment across both Watford shopping centres is aimed at transforming Watford and creating the best place in the region for people to shop high quality brands and spend their leisure time.”

The proposed development will create around 1,125 additional new jobs across the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, and up to 500 temporary construction jobs supported during the construction phase.

The application follows a public consultation online and at intu Watford, during which 91% of respondents felt that Charter Place both needed to change and supported intu’s proposals for more shops and leisure facilities.

Construction is expected to start during 2015, with the new destination scheduled to open in 2017.

£100m leisure development at intu lakeside

Intu has also submitted an outline planning application to create a £100 million leisure development at intu Lakeside, its market leading centre in Thurrock.

The leisure proposals mark the continuing evolution of the centre, building upon existing plans for a £180m expansion of the centre’s retail offer that would bring 30-40 new stores and a substantial investment in local community infrastructure.

The exciting new leisure development will create a series of outdoor spaces, the focal point of which will be a large town square around which a wide range of new leisure and restaurant uses will be provided over two levels. The public spaces will host an exciting events programme which may include farmers’ and Christmas markets, street theatre, music shows and live screenings of big sporting events throughout the year.

At the heart of the development, new public spaces will link the existing shopping centre with Alexandra Lake. These spaces will include a covered street, a family square, a town square and a waterfront area including a new boardwalk and park adjacent to the lake.

An extended cinema, new leisure and restaurant uses together with a hotel will be built around these dramatic new public spaces. Discussions are progressing with potential tenants with a view to securing such uses as ten-pin bowling, family restaurants, a health and fitness centre, a night club, a comedy venue and a hotel.

The development will provide a boost to the local economy during both construction and operational stages, with up to 1,400 permanent new jobs being created across the leisure, hospitality and retail sectors.

Construction is expected to start during 2015, with the leisure development scheduled to open in 2017.